Ndeam disability history month facts (2011 – 2013): 2011 Daily Facts: Monday, October 3, 2011 – Justin Dart

Ima Hogg (1882 – 1975) was eight years old when her father was elected Governor of Texas. After attending the University of Texas, she studied music in New York and abroad for many years, winding up in Houston where she helped found the Houston Symphony Orchestra. She became ill in late 1918 and spent the next two years in Philadelphia under the care of a specialist in mental and nervous disorders.

Perhaps because of her own experience, she became an active advocate for people with mental illness. In 1940, she established the Hogg Foundation for Mental Hygiene, which later became the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health at the University of Texas. In its early years the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health concentrated on educating the people of Texas about mental health.

One of the main concerns of the donors was that the knowledge of human behavior and mental health available through the intellectual resources of a university campus should be disseminated throughout the country. During the 1940s the Hogg Foundation's small staff traveled to hundreds of small Texas towns and rural communities to talk to professional and civic groups about the new ideas in mental health.

By 1954 the Foundation's annual income had grown sufficiently to allow the development of a major research program. A Hogg Foundation program was established to award grants in support of meritorious projects throughout the state. In addition, the Foundation became involved in programs for the education and training of professional mental-health workers; the expansion of state and community services; the extension of mental-health education by the large-scale use of pamphlets and by using other media such as books, radio, and television; and the strengthening of cooperative efforts with other foundations in the Southwest.

The 1960s brought increasing concern at the Hogg Foundation for the larger problems of society. Emphasis focused on campus mental health and on intervention with special population groups.

Adapted from:

Virginia Bernhard, "HOGG, IMA," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fho16), accessed September 30, 2013. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.

Thursday, October 31, 2013 – Hugh “Hackberry Slim” Johnson II

Hugh “Hackberry Slim” Johnson II (1888 – 1979), from Belton, was one of the first cowboys to put together a Buffalo Rodeo, which included buffalo stampede shows, buffalo chariot races, and even Junior Rodeo events where children could ride on baby buffaloes. Johnson came to be known as Hackberry Slim as a teenager, when an accident resulted in the amputation of one of his legs. Johnson used a limb from a hackberry tree to carve himself a prosthetic leg; he loved it when people began to call him by the nickname, thereafter always introducing himself as Hackberry Slim. Johnson was known for being quite a storyteller; speaking to reporter Rick Smith at the Sherman Democrat newspaper in an interview he told him:
“Now that leg, that was to my advantage sometimes. Pecos Pate taught me this trick, see. When I was about to ride a bronc, I’d loosen the leg. I’d start yellin’ about halfway through the ride. Yell that I was gettin’ bucked to pieces. Then I’d let the leg fly off. Strong men would scream and women’d faint. The tent’d be half empty by the time I clambered down.”
In 1979, at the age of 91, Johnson played a bit part in Willie Nelson’s classic movie Honeysuckle Rose. One evening after the filming in Austin, Willie and other musicians performed at a party for the cast and crew. At one point, the band dedicated a song to Johnson. The audience applauded and Johnson got up, grabbed the hand of a young woman and danced animatedly, then went back to sit down, put his head on the table and died.
Friends said he always claimed he wanted to “go out of this life with his boots on,” but that he would be satisfied to go with just the one boot on.
Attributions: Rick Smith, Sherman Democrat, 1978
October 2014 Disability History Month Facts:
Wednesday, October 1, 2014:

NATIONAL DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT AWARENESS MONTH
NDEAM's roots go back to 1945, when Congress enacted a law declaring the first week in October each year "National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week." In 1962, the word "physically" was removed to acknowledge the employment needs and contributions of individuals with all types of disabilities. In 1988, Congress expanded the week to a month and changed the name to "National Disability Employment Awareness Month." Upon its establishment in 2001, the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) assumed responsibility for NDEAM and has worked to expand its reach and scope ever since.
Each year, ODEP creates a theme to promote full inclusion in the workplace and designs a poster featuring the current year’s selection. For 2014, the theme is “Expect. Employ. Empower.” The theme was the outcome of a collaborative process including a national online dialogue in which the public were invited to submit ideas.
Texas uses the national ODEP theme to design its own NDEAM Poster each year. The Texas Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities hosts an art competition, open to any Texas artist with a disability. The winner of the competition, selected by a team of judges which includes people with disabilities, artists, and professionals in the field of disabilities, donates the winning art piece to the Governor’s Office. The Texas NDEAM poster design is donated by Jane Thomas of Apple Specialty Advertising. The posters are distributed free of charge throughout the state and nationally. The 2014 Texas NDEAM poster features art by Grant Manier of Spring, Texas; information on how to request a copy of the poster is available on the GCPD website at http://governor.state.tx.us/disabilities/ndeam/ndeam_poster/.
Attributions:

U.S. Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy: http://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/ndeam/index-2014.htm

Texas Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities NDEAM Poster: http://governor.state.tx.us/disabilities/ndeam/ndeam_poster/

Thursday, October 2, 2014:

RALPH TEETOR: Inventor of Cruise Control
Ralph Teetor (1890 – 1982) was a noted engineer and inventor, best known for his invention of Cruise Control for automobiles. An accident at the age of five left him totally blind, and he developed a keen sense of touch. In 1912, Teetor graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in mechanical engineering. In 1936, Teetor was elected as president of the Society of Automotive Engineers. He was also made a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the planetarium and one of the residence houses at Earlham College are named in Teetor's honor. One of the Society of Automotive Engineers’ most prestigious awards is named in Teetor's honor. His career as an engineer, manufacturing executive and entrepreneur led to the invention of many helpful products, including an early version of the powered lawn mower, lock mechanisms and holders for fishing rods.
But Teetor is best known for his invention of Cruise Control for automobiles, which he was inspired to invent one day while riding with his lawyer. The lawyer would slow down while talking and speed up while listening. The rocking motion so annoyed Teetor that he was determined to invent a speed control device. In 1945, after ten years of tinkering, Ralph Teetor received his first patent on a speed control device. Early names for his invention included "Controlmatic,” "Touchomatic,” "Pressomatic" and "Speedostat." The name finally chosen was "Cruise Control.” The device wasn't used commercially until Chrysler introduced it in 1958.
In 1988, Teetor was posthumously inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Michigan, for his numerous contributions to the automotive industry.
Attributions:

Hemming’s Classic Car: http://www.hemmings.com/hcc/stories/2009/07/01/hmn_feature13.html

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Teetor

Pat’s Tapestry: http://patstapestry.wordpress.com/2013/07/13/series-invention-intentions-introriddle-1/

Friday, October 3, 2014:

LEROY COLOMBO: Champion Swimmer and Record-Breaking Lifeguard
LeRoy Colombo (1905 – 1974) was mentioned in the Guinness Book of World Records for having saved 907 confirmed lives during his 40-year career as a lifeguard, breaking all records at the time; some reports suggest that he saved more than a thousand lives. Colombo was diagnosed with spinal meningitis at the age of 7, resulting in a complete loss of hearing and paralysis in his legs. His family encouraged him to learn to swim to strengthen his legs, and within a year he was able to walk again.
His love for swimming shaped his destiny. Colombo became involved in long-distance swimming and was accepted into the Toboggan Club in Galveston – a feat that mandated an entry test of three straight hours of swimming without pause – and swam across the Gulf of Mexico in eleven hours. At the age of 18, he became a lifeguard along the beach at Galveston, although by that time he had already saved several lives in an unofficial capacity, beginning with a rescue at the age of twelve. Some were unsure that, with his hearing loss, Colombo could serve as an efficient lifeguard, but his service soon proved that he was more than up to the task. Jean F. Andrews, a professor in the Department of Deaf Studies at Lamar University recently published a book on Colombo’s life titled High Tides, Low Tides.
After Colombo’s death in 1974, a plaque was erected along the seawall in Galveston, recognizing his accomplishments.
Attributions:

Start ASL: http://www.start-american-sign-language.com/leroy-colombo.html

VC Interpreting: http://www.vcinterpreting.com/bloggin-about-community/overcoming-the-odds-leroy-colombo/

If My Hands Could Speak blog: http://ifmyhandscouldspeak.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/leroy-colombo-life-saver/

Lamar University Press: http://www.lamaruniversitypress.org/nonfiction.php

Monday, October 6, 2014:

ANNIE JUMP CANNON: Noted Astronomer (1863 – 1941)
Annie Jump Cannon was an American astronomer whose cataloging work was instrumental in the development of contemporary classification of stars. Along with noted astronomer Edward C. Pickering, she is credited with the creation of the Harvard Classification Scheme, which was the first serious attempt to organize and classify stars based on their temperatures.
As a child, Cannon became fascinated with the night sky and its constellations; her mother encouraged her to pursue studies in math, chemistry and biology at Wellesley College. In 1892, Cannon travelled to Europe to take photos of a solar eclipse; soon after, she was infected with scarlet fever, which left her almost completely deaf.
She began work on astronomy as one of “Pickering’s Women” at Harvard University in 1896 and shortly thereafter she discovered SS Cygni, a dwarf nova (a star that suddenly becomes thousands of times brighter, then gradually fades to its original brightness). As her work continued, she was the primary researcher in creating the Harvard Classification Scheme, a significant and necessary element to astronomical studies still today. Cannon went on to classify more stars in her lifetime than anyone else, male or female, with a total of around 500,000 stars, as well as to discover over 300 variable stars, five nova, and one spectroscopic binary.
On May 9, 1922, the International Astronomical Union passed the resolution to formally adopt Cannon's stellar classification system, and with only minor changes, it is still being used for classification today. The annual Annie Jump Cannon Award presented by the American Astronomical Society for a female astronomer was named for her.
Attributions:

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Jump_Cannon

Cosmos TV Show featuring Annie Cannon: http://devoutnone.com/cosmos-episode-8/

American Astronomical Society: http://aas.org/about/grants-and-prizes/annie-j-cannon-award-astronomy

Tuesday, October 7, 2014:

LEWIS CARROLL: Author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1832 – 1898)
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, who wrote under the pen name Lewis Carroll, was an Oxford mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer who had been fascinated with numbers and wordplay from the time he was a young child and loved making up games. As a young child, he lost most of his hearing in one ear; he had an unidentified stiffness in his legs that caused mobility issues for him, and as an adult had frequent migraine headaches. He also had a severe stutter and was often teased and ridiculed as a child, although, as an adult, he claimed that he only had a stutter around adults, never around children.
When he was 30 years old, Dodgson went on a picnic with a young girl named Alice Liddell and her two sisters, all children of one of Dodgson’s colleagues at Oxford. After the picnic, he wrote a story about a little girl named Alice who fell down a rabbit hole, and sent the story as a Christmas gift to Alice, who loved it. He eventually published the book under the name Lewis Carroll and titled it Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and later wrote and published its sequel, Through the Looking Glass, both classic children’s (and adult’s) literature now.
Dodgson also loved creative thinking, and is credited with many inventions, including an early version of the game of Scrabble, word ladder games (in which one word is changed into another by changing one letter at a time, creating a legitimate new word at each step), a postal money order, several mathematical rules, a double-sided tape used to close envelopes, and many other creative devices.
Attributions:

History.com: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/alice-in-wonderland-manuscript-is-sent-as-a-christmas-present

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Carroll

Wednesday, October 8, 2014:

POST, WILEY HARDEMAN: Famous Aviator (1898 – 1935)
Wiley Hardeman Post, a native Texan, was one of the best known aviators in the world. In addition, he was known for his pioneer work in high altitude flight, particularly his role in developing an early pressure suit. His achievements in early aviation, more than two decades before the establishment of a United States space program, earned him a reputation as a pioneer in space flight. The airplane in which he made such contributions is today displayed at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., along with his pressure suit.
As an adult, Post turned to oilfield work in Oklahoma and began to dabble in "barnstorming" soon after the end of World War I, first as a parachute-jumper and later, after a few lessons, as a pilot. Thus began a career that would later carry him into the annals of aviation history. Eager to acquire his own airplane, Post returned to oilfield work to earn the necessary funds, but he was injured while working. He lost his left eye in the accident. Still, he was able to acquire a pilot’s license and gained fame for his round-the-world flights, a flight up into the stratosphere, his invention of a pressure suit for high altitude flight, and his discovery of jet streams.
Post's first venture into high visibility aviation came in 1930 when he won the air derby between Los Angeles and Chicago, a special event of the 1930 National Air Races. His next famous flight would bring even more accolades: a flight around the world in eight days, fifteen hours, and fifty-one minutes – a superlative achievement. Then, in 1933, he broke that record, spanning the route in less than eight days, beating his earlier time by more than twenty-one hours, and becoming the first solo flyer to circle the earth.
Wiley Post and humorist Will Rogers were killed in 1935 when Post’s airplane crashed in Alaska.
Attributions:

Texas State Historical Association: http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fpo27

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiley_Post

Thursday, October 9, 2014:

BOB WOODRUFF (1961 – present)
Robert Warren “Bob” Woodruff is an American television journalist, known best for succeeding Peter Jennings as co-anchor of ABC News' weekday news broadcast, World News Tonight in 2005. In January 2006, while on assignment in Iraq imbedded with the U.S. Fourth Infantry Division, Woodruff was critically wounded by a roadside bomb, leaving him with a traumatic brain injury (TBI); a portion of his skull had to be removed to prevent further damage from brain swelling.
Woodruff made a surprisingly quick recovery from his injuries, although the TBI often affected his ability to recall words. In 2007, he and others put together a documentary titled “To Iraq and Back: Bob Woodruff Reports,” exploring the consequences of TBI in soldiers and others, highlighting the difficulties veterans with TBI often experience in finding treatment. Woodruff continues to report for ABC News, often covering stories which involve veterans and the Veterans’ Administration system and hospitals. He and his wife Lee wrote and published a book on the topic, titled In an Instant: A Family’s Journey of Love and Healing.
Bob and Lee Woodruff also created the Bob Woodruff Foundation, whose mission it is to ensure that injured veterans and their families are thriving long after they return home. The organizations helps to find and fund innovative programs in communities where veterans, their families and caregivers live and work. 
Attributions:

The Bob Woodruff Foundation: http://bobwoodrufffoundation.org/

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Woodruff

Friday, October 10, 2014:

ANNE CORN: Researcher in the field of visual disabilities
Dr. Anne Corn is an innovative researcher, educator and advocate in the field of disabilities, and is considered a visionary within the field of visual disabilities. She herself is legally blind, but her own experiences have led her to re-think many of the traditional approaches to services and education for those who are blind or visually impaired, reconsidering methods that have long been considered the norm. When Corn was 18, her counselor pushed her to learn to use a cane, but she refused, preferring instead to use combined visual and auditory methods for accomplishing tasks. Her personal experience led her to research alternative procedures and techniques to navigating the word with various degrees of visual impairment.
Corn came to the University of Texas in Austin in 1980 and joined the Special Education Department. During her tenure there, she mobilized a team of specialists and educators to deliver low-vision services to sparsely populated areas; helped the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles analyze accidents involving low-vision drivers using bioptic telescopic systems; studied functional vision and literacy; and developed a theory of how visually impaired people use their functional vision – a theory now taught worldwide. Corn has served as a board member for Prevent Blindness Texas, Austin’s Urban Transportation Committee, and the Board of Trustees for the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
Corn accepted a position at Vanderbilt University in 1992; one of her most notable achievements there was in founding Providing Access to the Visual Environment (PAVE), now a comprehensive model for delivering low-vision services to children. She returned to Texas as Professor Emerita at Vanderbilt, and continues her research and publishing to increase awareness and provide alternative options for those with visual disabilities.
Dr. Anne Corn was inducted into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame in 2012.
Attributions:

TWU Texas Women’s Hall of Fame: http://www.twu.edu/twhf/tw-corn.asp

Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired: http://www.tsbvi.edu/low-vision/80-low-vision-without-blindfolding

Monday, October 13, 2014:

DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS (DAV): Texas Chapter
The Disabled American Veterans organization (originally named Disabled American Veterans, World War) was created in Cincinnati in 1920 by Robert S. Marks, who became its first national commander. In 1921 the first Texas local chapter, Harwood Davis Chapter Number One, was formed in Fort Worth. Within the year, there were more than twenty-five chapters throughout Texas, and in 1923 the Department of Texas Disabled American Veterans was organized in Kerrville. Congress granted the organization a federal charter in 1932. This charter was amended in 1942 by the deletion of the words "World War."
The purpose of the organization is to advance the interests of “all wounded, gassed, injured, and disabled veterans of all wars.” Today there are 71 active chapters of the DAV in various towns throughout the state of Texas. The Mission Statement of the Department of Texas DAV is “We are dedicated to a single purpose: empowering veterans to lead high-quality lives with respect and dignity. We accomplish this by ensuring that veterans and their families can access the full range of benefits available to them; fighting for the interests of America's injured heroes on Capitol Hill; and educating the public about the great sacrifices and needs of veterans transitioning back to civilian life.”
The current National Commander of DVA is Ronald F. Hope, a Vietnam War veteran; the current Texas Chapter Commander is Timothy W. Lindsey.
Attributions:

Department of Texas DAV: http://www.davmembersportal.org/tx/default.aspx

Texas State Historical Association: http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/vod01

DAV Texas Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/davtexas

Tuesday, October 14, 2014:

JAMES “DEAF” BURKE (1809 – 1845)
James “Deaf” Burke was a famous early 19th century bare-knuckles boxer in England who was reportedly completely deaf from birth; he was the British heavyweight champion from 1833 to 1839. Burke’s parents died when he was young and he scrambled to survive, living on the streets, seeking work where he could find it; it was a local pub owner who introduced Burke to boxing.
In 1833, in a particularly brutal fight for the English heavyweight championship that lasted 3 hours and 6 minutes, Burke defeated Simon Byrne, the Irish champion. Byrne died three days later from his injuries from the fight. Burke was arrested and tried for Byrne's murder, but was acquitted and subsequently freed. But because of the stigma against him, Burke decided to leave England and come to the U.S. to pursue his boxing career, where he introduced Prize Ring boxing to America.
After a brief but stellar record in the U.S., Burke returned to England, where the rules for boxing had been made stricter and more specific, including the introduction of the 10-Count Rule to determine whether a contestant has been knocked out. Before one of Burke’s big matches, the referee was worried about Burke not able to hear the shouted 10-Count Rule, so the referee used his arms to show Burke each count. Boxing competitions across the world continue to use the gesturing along with the counting today.
In 1992, Burke was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Attributions:

International Boxing Hall of Fame: http://www.ibhof.com/pages/about/inductees/pioneer/burke.html

DeafDigest: http://deafdigest.net/mid-week-news/20140708/

British Sign Language Zone: http://www.bslzone.co.uk/watch/deaf-history/deaf-history-james-burke/

UBO Boxing: http://www.uboboxing.com/rules.htm

Wednesday, October 15, 2014: